Feed-door for stalls



E. HOULE.

FEED DOOR FOR STALLS.

APPLICATION FILED :uns 29. 1920.

1,381,559. PatentedJune 14,1921.

.2 SHEETS-SHEET 1x 3d 4542 42 3J 4l 4,5-

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

EDMOND HOULE, OF DANVERS, MASSACHUSETTS.

FEED-noon ron srALts.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 14, 1921. Divided and this application led .Tune

29, 1920. Serial No. 392,642.

T0 all whom t may concern,

Be it known that I, EDMOND HoULE, a citizen of thel United States, residing at Danvers, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Doors for Stalls; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to `improvements in feed doors for stalls, being a division of my application filed January 16th, 1920, and serially numbered 351,893, and has for its primary object the provision of means whereby the animals may be supplied with food from the front of the stalls' and which means may be easily and quickly opened and closed.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means which keeps the animals separated and 'prevents them from obtaining each others food and also forms a protection for parts of the operating means of the feed door. Y

A further object of this invention is the provision of a feed door for stalls of the above stated character, which will be simple, durable and efficient, and which may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low cost.

With these and other objects in viewas will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention reference is to be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, in whichz f Figure 1 is a front elevation illustrating a feed door for stalls constructed in accordance with my inventiomand also showing the stanchions in the stalls and which form subject matter of a copending application,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view illustrating the same, a

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view 'illustrating the means for holding the feed door closed,

Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating a portion of the operating means for the feed door. f

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates as an entirety a barn or stable constructed for use by cows or other animals and includes a base or main frame 2 having-secured to its forward end Vertical uprights 3 to which is secured a front wall 4 provided with a doorway 5 and which doorway is closed by a hinged door 6. Spaced partitions 7 are secured to the main frame 1 and the uprights 3 to form stalls 8. The partitions 7 terminate short of the rear end of the frame 1 to form a passageway for the animals to enter and go out from the stalls and said passageway has a flooring 10 provided with a gutter 1l extending lon gitudinally of the device and at the rear of the stalls. The stalls are provided with flooring 12 that inclines in the direction of the trough 11 so that the draining can readily flow into the trough and be conveyed away from the stalls. The rear portions of the iooring 12 are provided with draining grooves 13 that lead to the trough 1l. The partitions 7 are of hollow formation and are of any desired design in outline and slidably receive segmental shaped plates 14 which are secured to the inner face of the door 6. The plates 14 also slide through the vertical uprights 3. Arms 15 are pivotally mounted withinA the partitions 7 and have pivotally connected thereto links 16 which are in turn pivoted t0 the plates 14. The arms 15 have their upper ends reduced and project beyond the pivotal connection between said arms and the links 16 to engage a shoulder 17 formed by the curvature of the parti tions to limit the rearward movement of said arms. A horizontally disposed operating shaft 17 is journaled in the frame 2 and has secured to one end thereof a lever 18 whereby said shaft may be oscillated. Cam shaped elements 19 are secured to the operating shaft 17 and extend upwardly in the partitions 7 to engage' the links and on forward movement of said elements they cause said links to swing upwardly which in turn opens the door 6 through the segmental plates 14, and when said cam shaped elements 19 are in their foremost position they engage under the segmental plates and hold the door in an open position so that feed can be placed into feed troughs 2O arranged in the forward ends of each stall, 'Ihe end segmental plates 14 have springs 21 connected thereto and to the frame instead of the links and arms and which springs are adapted to automatically close the doorY 6 when the cam shaped elements 19 are swung rearwardly away from their respective segmental plates and links 16. It is to be noted that the feed `placed within the feed'troughs can only be eaten by the animals of the respective stall to the feeding trough thus preventing the animals from stealing or interfering witheach others food. 4

A horizontal beam 22 is supported by braces 23 over the stall to which are pivotally connected verticallyv disposed stanchions 24 by bolts or rods 24 which are se.- cured to the upper ends of the stanchions and journaled in the beam 22. The lower ends ofthe stanchions 24 are pivoted to the floor of the stalls as illustrated at 26. Each of the stanchions 24 includes upper and lower members 27 and 23 and side members 29 and 30. The side members 29 and 30 are spaced suiiiciently apart to receive the neck r of Van animal but will prevent the animal from drawing its head between said side members. The side member 29 lis firmly secured to the upper and lower members 27 and 28, while the side member 30V is hinged to the end of the lower member 28 and is normally urged away fromthe end of the upper member' 27 by means of a spring 30. A yoke31 is pivoted to the upper member 27 andY slidably receives the pivotedV side member 30 for limiting the movement of said side member away from the Vupper member 27 but will permit said side member 36 to move sufficient to permit the animal to withdraw its head from the stanchions.

The upper end of the side member 30 is reduced to form an extension 32 adaptedto be received by the bifurcated end 33 of the upper endrj27. A -catch 34 is pivoted to the upper member 27 and operates in the bifurcated end to engage the extension 32 for holding the side member 30 in engagement with the circular members 35 of the catches 34 carrying at their upper ends cams 38 which are provided with grooves 39.

Brackets 40 are secured to the beam22 and slidably support an operating rod 41 which has secured thereto cams 42 adapted to engage the cams 38 for forcing them in presence of two witnesses;

in Vproper alinement with the cams 42 regardless of the position of the stanchions. AVv klever'44 is pivotally mounted as illustrated at 45 Vand has one of, its ends pivotedto a link 46 which is in turn pivoted to the end of the operating rod 4l. A spring 47 is secured to the link 46 and to the beam'22 for the purpose of normally` urgingvthe cams 42 away from the l'cams 38, or in other -words return thecams 42 to their initial position after thelever 44 has been released. Y

While I have shownand described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will beY understoodp'that minor changesv in construction, combination, and arrangement of parts maybe made without departingY from the spirit landV scope ofthe invention Y as claimed. ,n ,Y Y Y Iaving thusV described my -invention,wh at I claim is u 1. A device ofthe ycharacter set(V forth comprisingia frame, afront wall-carried by said frame and'having a doorway,'a hingedV door closing` said doorway,partitionsecary ried by said frame and front wall to form' a plurality of stalls `having feeding-spaces,

segmental plates se'curedrto the door, arms pivotally mounted in saidpa'rtitio'ns, links"` connecting said arms to the segmental plates and camrshaped elements'adapted to engage the links and segmental plates for opening the door 'and holding said doorVV in an open position.

comprising a frame, a front wall carried by said frame and having a doorway, a hinged door closing said doorway, hollow .partis tions carried by said framefand front 'wall to form a plurality'ofstalls having feeding spaces, segmental plates movableingthe par-j titions and secured to thedoor, arms pivotedV 1n the partitions andlimited in their rearward movement by said fpartitions,

links connecting said arms to the segmental f plates, an operating shaft journaled in the frame, a Vhandle forsaidjshaft, cam'shaped elements secured to the shaft 'and'. adapted to Vengage the links and'segmental plates toY move the door open and holdsaiddoor in'an open position, and springs for closing the door when 'the cam Vshaped `elements are moved rearwardly away from the links `and segmental plates.

In testlmonywhereof I affix my signature n n Y Ein'roivn'jH'ojUL-'ni VVlitnesses: Y Y Y i JOSEPH VD. VIrIoU'La, ENooH T. BAILEY.

2. A device of the character setlrforth,YY

IIE 

